Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 69

# Chapter 069.  Artificial Emotion (3)

 

 

 

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The photograph was too blurry to make out any details.

However, two distinct features of the figure lifting its head were clearly visible.

Blue skin.

A blue gemstone embedded in its forehead.

‘It’s not the one I saw.’

The skin color was the same, but the creature Ray had encountered in the wasteland didn’t have a gemstone on its forehead.

A brief moment of thought.

One possibility came to mind.

“Is this photo manipulated?”

“Yes, that’s correct. As expected, you’re quick to catch on. We hired an expert in photo manipulation. We tried to recreate Rockdeer’s appearance as accurately as the old man described.”

“That must have cost quite a bit.”

“Of course. But to make a profit, you have to invest accordingly.”

Skyle was extremely confident that once John saw the photo, he would undoubtedly come out of the hotel.

“The old man’s obsession with that delusion of Rockdeer is beyond imagination. In the past, he even made requests to groups other than our mercenary corps.”

Then, he added,

“I may not look like it, but I know how to handle and manipulate people’s desires. Someone like that old man is nothing more than easy prey.”

It wasn’t a particularly interesting topic.

What Ray wanted to ask was—

“What percentage of the money will I receive if the plan succeeds?”

“I’ll give you 10% of the total amount in John’s account.”

Ray remained silent.

John hurriedly added,

“Thirteen, no, fourteen…? I can go up to fifteen percent. No more than that. I came up with most of the plan, and I also have to consider the shares for my subordinates…”

Desperately trying to secure his own share.

In truth, Ray didn’t care much about the percentage.

John hadn’t harmed him in any way, nor had he ever shown hostility.

‘It goes against my principles.’

What is received must be repaid.

Whether it be gratitude or vengeance.

He couldn’t bring himself to harm someone without reason.

Not unless he was attacked first or had some significant interest involved.

However, considering the cost of the entrance fee to the city of magicians, saving up money was definitely a wise decision.

Ray’s gaze shifted to the card.

**[Bank Ignis]**

Below that, in small embossed letters, was Skyle’s name.

Having made his decision, Ray spoke.

“Alright. I’ll accept the offer.”

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## The Next Morning

In front of the inn where Ray’s group was staying—

“Hey, damn it, don’t push me!”

“Screw you, I was here first!”

Five vagrants were shoving each other and squabbling.

They were the leaders of the five gangs that controlled the nearby streets.

“Tsk, tsk. The order doesn’t matter. What matters is the quality of the information you’ve brought.”

“Bullshit. You’re just scared, aren’t you? Since your territory is the smallest, you must’ve gathered the least information, so now you’re making excuses.”

“This isn’t the final report. We have to come back every morning, remember?”

**Bang!**

The door swung open, and the commotion instantly ceased.

As soon as they saw the person who appeared, the vagrants instinctively felt a deep fear and dread.

“You all seem to have gathered a lot of information overnight. Given that there are still 20 minutes left before the designated time, yet you’re already here.”

Ray scanned the gang leaders.

Then, he stepped back inside and brought out Philip.

“W-wait, they’re already here? I wasn’t mentally prepared yet—. Oh, they really are…”

Ray had to leave the inn early to meet Skyle as promised.

Thus, Philip was left in charge of receiving the vagrants’ reports.

“Um… Have you all had breakfast yet?”

The vagrants, each with a rough and intimidating appearance, stood in front of Philip, who hesitated awkwardly.

When Ray was around, there was nothing to fear, but dealing with them alone was a different matter entirely.

The vagrants immediately widened their eyes upon sensing Philip’s hesitation.

‘Yeah, that’s the proper reaction when standing in front of us.’

‘You should be trembling just from looking at us. I’m the Bloodied Monkey Wrench of Street 13, after all.’

‘Right. That white-haired bastard—no, that guy is the weird one.’

In an effort to regain their bruised pride, they did their best to intimidate Philip.

“Um… Sirs, ha, haha. Did something unpleasant happen to you all this morning…?”

Philip attempted to lighten the mood.

But it was of little use.

Observing the emotions within their “vessels,” Ray stepped closer to Philip and whispered.

“Be firm. Don’t let them underestimate you. If they see you as prey, they’ll try to devour you at every opportunity.”

Staying by Philip’s side in every situation would be ideal, but physical limitations made that impossible.

Philip needed to get used to handling these situations on his own.

“You can do it.”

“……”

“Think of yourself as above them.”

“I’m above them…?”

“Yes. You’re the overseer. They, on the other hand, are nothing more than subcontractors, to use your own words. You have authority over them.”

“Authority…”

“You have the right to inspect their work and penalize even the slightest mistakes or flaws.”

Philip slowly nodded.

A look of realization dawned on his face.

The fear that had filled his vessel gradually faded, replaced by confidence and determination.

“Alright. I’ll give it a try.”

Ray left Philip in charge and departed from the inn.

After walking about ten steps—

**─Is this what you call information?! The notes you wrote are so useless that even the homeless wouldn’t bother using them as blankets or firewood!**

The advice had clearly been effective.

Though that wasn’t exactly what Ray had intended.

‘If possible, I would have directly infused courage and confidence into his vessel.’

After his meeting with Skyle the previous day, Ray had devoted himself to experimenting with injecting emotions into others’ vessels.

For the rest of the day.

To the point of forgetting about exploring the sector.

**「Wow! Ray just stayed in the inn resting! Meanwhile, we were running around all day, sweating our feet off!」**

**「He must have had his reasons.」**

**「True.」**

**「…Why did you accept that so quickly?」**

**「Because it’s not wrong?」**

A minor commotion had arisen because of it, but in the end, he was able to confirm a few meaningful findings.

**First.**

‘Not everyone’s vessel can be infused with emotions.’

Some people could have emotions injected into their vessels, while others couldn’t.

The former group was overwhelmingly larger.

Street pedestrians, shopkeepers.

Vagrants, the homeless.

When infused with different emotions, they would immediately laugh, cry, or become enraged.

However, there were those into whom emotions simply couldn’t be injected, no matter what method was used.

Philip and Veronica were prime examples.

The exact criteria remained unclear.

**Second.**

*”There is a limit to the type and amount of emotions that can be infused into a vessel.”*

It was only possible to artificially amplify the emotions that already existed within a person’s vessel.

In other words, emotions that were completely absent could not be created within someone.

Additionally, the maximum extent to which an emotion could be inflated varied slightly depending on the type of emotion and the individual, but generally, it could only reach about half of the vessel’s capacity.

Beyond that, it was impossible.

As if there were a limit to how much emotion could be forcibly injected.

If one wished to fill an entire vessel with a single emotion, as in Skyle’s case, they had to build upon artificially induced emotions by naturally guiding them with specific words and actions.

Next, the third point.

*”It’s exhausting.”*

The process of infusing emotions consumed an extreme amount of mental energy, leaving one completely drained after a single session.

Of course, with practice, it was expected to improve over time.

Just like how spells that were once difficult to use repeatedly eventually became as effortless as breathing.

For now, however, it was still more efficient to guide someone’s emotions through words and actions rather than direct infusion.

And finally, the most important point.

*”I can’t infuse mana into my own vessel.”*

This was the aspect he had looked forward to the most, but as expected, the result remained the same.

In the end, the only way to expand the range of emotions he could experience was to directly discover them through lived experiences.

**Tap— Tap— Tap.**

As he walked along the street, Ray came to a halt and turned around.

“Do you have something to say?”

From behind a utility pole, a man in a coat emerged.

It was Michael.

“…You’re quite skilled. I used concealment magic, yet you noticed me immediately.”

“concealment magic?”

“Yes. It’s a basic spell taught at the Mage Tower… Judging by your reaction, I suppose you’re not from there. It’s a simple spell that erases footsteps and makes it difficult for others to perceive your presence within the surroundings.”

concealment magic.

Could the multicolored mana veil clinging to Michael’s skin like clothing be that very magic?

Noticing Ray’s curiosity, Michael demonstrated the process of deactivating and then reactivating the concealment spell.

The various colors of mana used in the spell reflected in Ray’s eyes.

“If one isn’t paying attention, they wouldn’t normally—”

Michael’s pupils dilated.

“W-Wait… Didn’t you just ask me what concealment magic was?”

Ray had analyzed the spell’s mechanism and replicated it.

And not just that—he had executed it with even greater precision.

As a result, if Michael lost focus for even a moment, he would lose track of Ray’s presence.

His eyes could see him, but his mind refused to acknowledge it—a state akin to cognitive dissonance.

The moment Ray deactivated his concealment magic, the shaken look in Michael’s eyes stabilized.

“Why were you following me?”

“No, I… This is… This makes no sense….”

Muttering to himself in complete bewilderment, Michael soon collected his thoughts and answered.

“I apologize. I didn’t intend to stalk you. I just couldn’t find the right opportunity to approach you…”

He explained that he had sought out Ray to dispel a persistent question in his mind.

“When you used lightning magic at the hotel, I couldn’t sense a mana circle at all.”

In order to cast magic, one had to manipulate mana within a mana circle.

Because of that, a mana circle’s presence was inevitably exposed to others.

“But I couldn’t understand it. I’ve never heard of a way to use magic while concealing the mana circle.”

“…….”

He had heard that Michael was someone who rarely left John’s side.

And yet, the fact that he had come in person—

*”He must have been really curious.”*

Indeed, Michael’s vessel was filled with a cloudy, swirling mass of doubt.

However, there was no sign of particular hostility or malice.

Ray had already intended to meet and speak with him.

*”I still have time before my scheduled appointment.”*

A brief conversation wouldn’t hurt.

Ray decided to answer Michael’s question.

“I used the mana in the atmosphere.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I wasn’t trying to hide my magic circle. I just didn’t need to use the mana stored in it.”

Michael was momentarily stunned.

Once he fully processed Ray’s words, his confusion only deepened.

“Are you saying… you used raw, unrefined atmospheric mana to cast magic?”

“Yes. I drew in elemental particles from the air and combined them at specific locations.”

“…….”

The mana in the atmosphere was extremely dense and rigid.

To put it in perspective, it was like nearly solidified cement—one could barely move even a small amount with intense focus.

On top of that, its lack of fluidity made it difficult to even detect.

*”Using atmospheric mana for a spell or two might be possible. Even academy students use it in emergencies. But yesterday, he…”*

The lightning magic had filled the entire space.

**Crackle! Crackle!**

Just like now.

“…….”

“See? You didn’t sense any movement in my magic circle just now, did you?”

Michael stared blankly at the dozens of sparks crackling in the air.

*”This is…”*

The difference was beyond mere effort or skill.

If using atmospheric mana once or twice was within the realm of *possible*, then what Ray had done didn’t even belong in the same category.

A long silence followed.

Then, in a voice tinged with exhaustion, Michael finally spoke.

“…Yes. That’s correct. When you used concealment magic earlier, I could sense the movement of mana within your core magic circle. But this time, I felt nothing.”

He couldn’t understand it, but he couldn’t deny what was happening right before his eyes.

How should he even describe this?

It felt as though the past decade he had spent devoted to magic had just been completely invalidated.

*”To use atmospheric mana so effortlessly… Even the professors at the Mage Tower have never demonstrated such a feat.”*

His chest tightened.

Just how powerful of a mage was Ray?

He had detected only one magic circle when Ray used concealment magic earlier, but it was certain that he was concealing many more.

4th Circle? …5th Circle?

He couldn’t even begin to estimate Ray’s level.

A deep sense of admiration and reverence took root within Michael’s vessel.

“…….”

Watching this unfold, Ray wordlessly manipulated the mana in the atmosphere, blending its colors.

That emotion—

It felt like it could still grow.

With that thought in mind, he proceeded.

Soon, mana of a rich violet hue—signifying awe and respect—formed.

The mana drifted through the air, moving toward Michael’s vessel.

 

 

 

 

 

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